The pandemic has left us feeling globally-connected, yet more alone than ever, and it’s driving unique, wonderfully inspiring health food trends in 2021. There’s an intense desire to find ways to nourish ourselves, and the planet too. Moved to live healthier, and preserve all we hold dear on this planet, many of the hottest health food trends in 2021 are magnificently motivating.
The best thing you can do to be healthy in 2021 is to focus on your mental health. Unable to control the pandemic, it’s created stress in our lives that will continue to play a major role in our health this year. Learning new ways to cope can help: practice time blocking, try meditation, and continue to build strong connections with others, particularly with the pandemic’s need for physical separation. Eating healthy can help you reduce stress naturally – it can be as simple as adding a side salad to lunch, or sipping on a comforting, hot mug of fresh green tea. Throughout your day find joy in movement to relieve stress and improve sleep.
The COVID-19 pandemic has awakened many people to the importance of their immune health. Consumers are buying more immune-supporting health products and looking for ways to boost their immune system naturally, including traditionally popular herbal supplements, such as echinacea, as well as plant-based whole foods, such as mushrooms and green tea, known to boost the immune system.
There’s an awakening among shoppers, realizing the power in their purchases, setting the stage for one of the hottest health food trends in 2021 to be foods that fight climate change. Growing awareness of many certified logos, shoppers are becoming more inclined to flex their muscles, using their shopping dollars to drive change. Shoppers are looking for foods with a lower carbon footprint, and products that are harvested and made in a way that is both socially and environmentally-responsible. Are you wanting to buy more foods that fight climate change? Look for products featuring certified logos, such as Canada Organic, USDA organic, and Direct Trade.
Exhausted with restrictive diet trends, and handfuls of supplements, there’s been a shift towards fresh, plant-based whole foods. People are interested in fresh whole foods for their nutrient-rich properties. When a plant is picked, it is in its peak freshness and contains the most nutrients. Eating fresh, plant-based whole foods means that nutrient profile is preserved. Fresh, whole foods, particularly those with immune-boosting benefits are set to be amongst the hottest health foods in 2021.
Tiny, baby versions of bigger plants like broccoli or kale, microgreens have traditionally been something you’d find on top of your meal at a high-end restaurant. But, a growing interest in fresh, plant-based, whole foods, like microgreens, has these teeny plants sprouting up in local grocery stores. Colourful, cute, and packed with nutrients, microgreens are another extension of the growing appetite for fresh, plant-based, whole-foods.
More of us are working from home today than ever before, meaning we are making our own cups of caffeine-rich delights each morning, instead of the barista at the local coffee shop. As such, home baristas will be one of the hottest health food trends in 2021. Without access to our favourite baristas, many of us are impelled to learn how to make our own frothy lattes, or pour-overs. We’re perfecting our own beverage making skills, discovering the perfect temperature for brewing, and the most nutritious tea. Home baristas are steeping and brewing more and more this year.
Sponsored by Millennia Tea.